Stuffed animals and toys are typically formed by filling a sewn fabric skin or body with a resilient material such as polyester-cellulose fibers alone or along with polystyrene beads or other filler materials, creating a three-dimensional soft and resilient representation of an animal or other toy. Most stuffed toys are manufactured by first sewing the skin together from multiple pieces of fabric, leaving an opening through which stuffing may later be inserted. Where two pieces of fabric are sewn together, they are sewn such that the bulky portion of the seam faces the inside of the finished skin. Therefore, the skin is sewn inside out so that unfinished edges of the pieces of fabric from which the skin is formed are all located on the inside of the finished stuffed toy. Once the pieces of fabric are all sewn together into a finished skin or body, the skin or body is turned right side out so that the best and smooth finished side of the fabric faces outwardly and the rough seams are hidden. Next, stuffing is inserted through the stuffing opening until the inside of the skin is substantially full of the stuffing material, giving the stuffed toy a resilient three-dimensional shape, much like the inflating of a balloon.
In small scale or custom manufacturing, the plush toy may be hand stuffed. That is, handfuls of stuffing may be pushed through the stuffing opening in the skin or body. In larger scale manufacturing, some type of stuffing injection tube is often used to insert stuffing into the skin or body. An injection tube is inserted through the stuffing opening and the stuffing material is then injected or pumped through the tube into the interior of the stuffed toy.
When the stuffed toy is sufficiently filled with stuffing material, the stuffing opening must be closed to give the stuffed toy an acceptable appearance and to prevent leakage of the stuffing material. Traditionally, the stuffing opening is sewn closed from the outside of the skin using a sewing machine. This approach has several disadvantages. First, the resulting seam generally has a wound-like appearance. That is, sewing the opening shut from the outside creates a ridge or thick-type scar which is readily apparent on the skin of the finished stuffed toy. It is desirable to eliminate this wound-like ridge or thick-type scar to improve the appearance and feel of stuffed toys. Secondly, closing the stuffing opening from the outside of the skin after the stuffing material is inserted can be a relatively time consuming procedure and a costly labor expense. Also, special equipment such as sewing materials and/or a sewing machine are required to close the opening. It is desirable to eliminate this sewing step, thereby eliminating the need for a sewing machine and/or sewing materials at the final stage of stuffed toy production. It is also desirable that the stuffing opening be closed in such a way that considerable time is saved compared to the traditional and costly sewing method.